That One Week
by blindbat1192
Summary: Four friends in second grade haven't a care in the world. Enter a boy genius who just moved into Retroville, and by the end of the week, everything changes for them. See how the rivalry started in this prequel to the film.
1. The First Day

**Hope you guys enjoy this fanfic prequel...and against my better judgement, I don't own Jimmy Neutron :(**

* * *

For the past few months, the house just across from that of Cindy Vortex had been for sale. The house itself was empty, but there was one thing left behind that hadn't been there before…the clubhouse. The previous owners of the house had built it for their 5-year old twins and it used to hold lots of extravagant child toys. But they cleared that out when they moved, so now it was just a stuffy old clubhouse. That morning, however, the "For Sale" sign had been removed, despite no one being there at the time. Cindy took note of this as she got on the bus for school that day.

"Hey, you see that, girlfriend?" asked Libby, "Looks like someone's finally moving into that house."

"About time," said Cindy.

Right next to the two girls, Carl and Sheen had also noticed the "For Sale" sign had been replaced with one that said "Sold."

"You don't think it's another Butch, do you?" asked Carl.

"Nah," replied Sheen, "That got old after the fifth one moved out last year."

"Who wants to bet this next person won't last long, either?" asked Libby.

Cindy had opened up her green backpack and pulled out a pink notebook, examining her homework from the previous night.

"That's the smartest kid in Retroville for you," said Sheen, "Always doing homework no matter what."

"I'm not _doing_ homework, I'm _reviewing_ it," replied Cindy, giving a slight grin at Sheen, "Something you could learn to do, Ultra-Dork."

"That so?" asked Sheen, "Care to enlighten me how us two dimwits are supposed to do _homework_?"

"Hey, at least I try," said Carl, trying to defend himself.

The four laughed as the bus had approached Lindbergh Elementary School and they stepped off the bus. As was their usual routine, they walked next to each other, with Carl and Cindy on the left, Libby and Sheen on the right.

"If you guys are having so many problems with your schoolwork, why don't you just ask someone for help?" asked Libby.

"That would cut into my Ultra-Lord time," replied Sheen, "Gotta sort out your priorities."

"No, _you_ need to sort out _your_ priorities," said Cindy.

"I think he already has," said Libby.

"Hey, isn't that Principal Willoughby?" asked Carl.

Principal Willoughby was indeed up ahead, just outside his office. Normally, however, he was either in the office or making surprise visits to the classrooms. If he was ever seen in the hallways, he would just be making his way from one room to another as opposed to talking to someone, as he was doing now. A young married couple had been talking to him. The woman had short hair with a green dress, pearl necklace, and a beauty mark just under her lips. The man wore glasses with swirled brown hair, and wore a blue sweater vest with matching pants. He also had an unusually large nose.

"I'm sure he'll make an excellent addition to our student body!" exclaimed the flamboyant elementary school principal, "And I can't wait to see those inventions of his!"

As the couple passed by the four young students, they too were approached by the principal.

"Oh, perfect timing!" exclaimed Principal Willoughby, "Just the people I was looking for! The four amigos! I've got big news!"

"We're opening a llama petting zoo?" asked Carl.

"Ultra-Lord's gonna be here?" asked Sheen.

"Eh, no," replied Principal Willoughby, "What I was going to say is that we're about to have a new student that will be in your class tomorrow!"

Immediately, all four of them began to imagine what kind of classmate this new student would be. Libby imagined a punk boy with her taste in music. Cindy imagined a Nick Dean lookalike, but with a brain. Carl imagined someone who would bring in a pet llama to school with him every day. Sheen imagined someone dressed completely in Ultra Lord gear.

"Now I do hope you'll all help him find his way around the school once he arrives," said Principal Willoughby, "We don't want an incident like when Carl first started kindergarten, do we?"

"I'm potty-trained now," said Carl shyly.

At that moment, the ringing bell echoed throughout the halls.

"Well, I'll see you children later," said Principal Willoughby, prancing down the hall.

"A new student, eh?" wondered Sheen.

"Been a while since we've had one of those in our class," said Libby.

* * *

In the late afternoon, everyone was on the bus back home, pretty much in their usual spots.

"You think he'll be nice to us?" asked Carl, "I _really_ hope he isn't another Butch."

"Carl, we're only in second grade," replied Cindy.

"So is Butch!" cried Carl, "That doesn't mean he's nice!"

"You still owe me a lunch, buddy!" Butch shouted from the back of the bus.

"Just leave him alone, Butch!" shouted Libby.

"Or what?" asked Butch.

"Or you'll face the wrath of Ultra Lord!" exclaimed Sheen, "You will taste the Ultra Punch…just like in episode 276 when he used it on the Psycho Monkeys of Kobar-9! It was cool!"

Not exactly fear-inspiring, but the awkward silence that followed caused Butch to stop talking either way. When Cindy and Libby walked in one direction as the bus stopped, Carl and Sheen walked the other. However, shortly as they passed the newly sold house, something approached them…a robot dog to be specific.

"AAHH!" cried Carl and Sheen.

"What is that thing?" asked Carl.

"It must be some horribly deformed, mutated creature!" cried Sheen.

Sheen's theory, or what passed off as one, was greatly exaggerated. They became less afraid of the dog once they saw it kneeling down, dropping bolts from its rear end.

"Goddard, not on the sidewalk!"

The robot dog, which they now knew was named Goddard, looked up and began to bark at its master. The small boy had a rather large head for his body figure, not to mention a hairdo that looked like a chocolate ice cream swirl.

"That thing is your pet?" asked Sheen.

"Yeah, he's my robot dog Goddard," the boy replied, "I built him myself!"

"You built that?" asked an amazed Carl.

"Well, it's an easy process when you have a working knowledge of mechanics and engineering," replied the young genius.

"Mechawho and whatsaneering?" asked Sheen.

"You're…not that bright, are you?" asked the boy.

"Nope," replied Sheen.

"Nuh-uh," replied Carl in unison.

"Jimmy!" cried a voice from the window.

The woman and man who were looking out the window, the boy's parents, looked awfully familiar to Carl and Sheen.

"Jimmy, clean up the mess you made in that kitchen, and I mean _you_!" said Mrs. Neutron, pointing at her son, "Not the robotic Jimmy that says nice things."

"Oh, and wash up when you're done with that, Jimbo!" exclaimed Mr. Neutron, "We're having pie tonight to celebrate a successful move-in."

"Alright," groaned Jimmy, "I'll be right there."

As Jimmy and Goddard ran off back inside their house, Carl and Sheen began to walk to their own.

"You know, those two grown-ups looked familiar," said Sheen.

"Yeah," said Carl, then with a slight giggle, "But especially the really _pretty_ one…"

* * *

That night, the lights in Jimmy's room were on while he was conducting experiments with Goddard. It had been some time since that much light came from that house. It would take a little time for Cindy to get used to it.

"Seriously, what is going on in there?" Cindy wondered to herself.

* * *

**To be continued...**

**Please review :)**


	2. The Second Day

**Disclaimer: I do not own Jimmy Neutron.**

**Today, Carl and Sheen begin to get along more with Jimmy, slowly isolating their old friends Cindy and Libby.**

* * *

Carl and Sheen had stepped on the bus the next morning and sat in the row next to Cindy and Libby as usual. Except this time, something felt different about the atmosphere. They couldn't quite put their fingers on it…until they realized that the usually empty spot behind them had finally been occupied.

And who was sitting there? None other than the boy they had met yesterday.

Jimmy was making some modifications to his Levitation Ray as Carl and Sheen peeked over. They kept eyeballing the boy genius as he twisted his screwdriver into the trigger on the Ray.

"Hey, aren't you that kid we met yesterday?" asked Sheen.

Jimmy looked up from what he was doing.

"Oh, you guys again," he said.

"What are you working on?" asked Carl.

"My new and improved Levitation Ray," replied Jimmy.

"Levitation?" asked Carl and Sheen.

"Basically, when I point it at something, the object will start to float in midair," replied Jimmy, explaining his latest invention, "And then I can move it in any direction I want."

"Whoa! Cool!" exclaimed Sheen, "I could make my Ultra Lord figures really fly with that thing! Can I try it?"

"Well…" said Jimmy, "I'd have to test it first to see if it actually _works_."

"Well then test it already!" cried Sheen, his mind exploding with possibilities.

"If you insist," said Jimmy with a devilish grin.

Jimmy pointed the Levitation Ray at a bottle of Purple Flurp that was in the cup holder by the bus driver. The Levitation Ray began to increase in weight.

"I think I got a grip on it!" exclaimed Jimmy.

"Make it float some more!" cried an excited Carl.

However, when Jimmy moved his Levitation Ray up, it wasn't the Purple Flurp that went up in the air…it was the bus itself. In less than a second, the bus went from the ground to 500 feet in the air, falling right towards Lindbergh Elementary. Needless to say, lots of the kids on the bus were screaming in fear.

"Do something!" screamed Carl, "Do something!"

Jimmy didn't have to be told twice. He had been used to his parents telling him to clean up his messes after his inventions had caused chaos. Jimmy quickly reversed the wirings on the inside, and then shot the ray again just as it was about to crash face first into the ground. Jimmy managed to rotate the bus and lower it to just a few feet above the ground, and when he released it, the bus landed safely.

"Whew," said Jimmy, "That was a close one."

"Too close," sighed Carl, getting out his inhaler.

"Awesome!" cried Sheen, "Let's do that again!"

"NO!" cried everyone else on the bus.

* * *

The four friends had a difficult time getting used to the fact that the seat in front of Sheen and between Cindy and Carl had finally been occupied…let alone by the boy who almost got them killed on the bus. And at the most unexpected of moments, Carl and Sheen finally realized where they had seen Jimmy's parents before.

"Hey, wait a minute," pondered Sheen, "Your parents were talking to the principal yesterday!"

"So that really pretty lady is your mom?" asked Carl.

An awkward moment of silence followed, resulting in Carl sinking into his chair just as the teacher, Miss Fowl, entered the classroom.

"Ah, I see we have a new face in class," said Miss Fowl, turning her attention towards Jimmy, "Let's see…you're Jimmy Neutron, right?"

"That's me," replied Jimmy.

"I was wondering what your name was," said Carl, "You never said it yesterday."

By now, class had started, and the first part of the day involved show and tell. Jimmy wasn't told this, but he was never without an invention of his, so he wasn't exactly unprepared for a presentation.

"This is Ultra Lord!" exclaimed Sheen when it was his turn.

"For the love of all that is holy, Sheen," said Miss Fowl, "Can't you bring something _other_ than Ultra Lord?"

Libby had presented the newest Green Day album that she had gotten. Carl Wheezer brought in his Llama Lover Society ID Card. Cindy Vortex had brought in a large plant that she had planted herself, which usually awed the class. Today, however, would be different.

"Jimmy, normally at this time of week, we do show and tell, so if you don't have anything, don't feel bad about it," said Miss Fowl.

"That won't be necessary," replied Jimmy, walking up to the front of the class, "I think I might have something."

Pulling out two small suction cups, he placed them on the bottom of his shoes, and the class gasped in awe when he began jumping higher into the air than any normal person.

"Sweet muffins!" cried Miss Fowl, "Did you build that yourself?"

"Among other things," replied Jimmy, "I also built a Cheese Ray, a Microscopic Basketball Court, a built-in Lie Detector in my dog Goddard, and I'm currently working on a Shrink Ray."

"My word!" exclaimed Miss Fowl.

"He's a genius!" cried Sheen.

Right as he said that, Jimmy jumped a little too high, ramming his large head into the ceiling. His legs were still running, trying to get out of that uncomfortable position.

"Okay, but still!" cried Sheen.

* * *

At lunchtime, Carl, Sheen, Cindy, and Libby all sat at the same section of the table (boys on one end, girls on the other) as usual. Carl and Sheen couldn't shut up about the new genius in town, leaving Libby and Cindy with doubts about him.

"Man, that is one cool kid!" exclaimed Carl.

"Okay, so he has some cool toys," moaned Cindy, "But that's all we know about him. He might not be as much of a genius as you guys say he is."

"Sounds to me like someone is worried about losing her 'smartest kid in Retroville' title," Sheen said.

"Sounds to _me_ like someone wants a spoon shoved down their throat!" shouted Cindy, lunging towards Sheen.

Sheen leaped back as Libby held Cindy back from lunging at Sheen.

"Calm down, guys!" said Libby, and after everyone had fallen quiet, "Look guys, we've all been good friends since we were babies! Are we really gonna let one guy tear us apart?"

"No," the other three said quietly.

"Oh, hey look!" cried Carl, "There's Jimmy!"

Sure enough, Jimmy had been walking by with a bag lunch looking for somewhere quiet to sit and write notes on his projects. Sadly, that wasn't what he was going to get.

"Come sit with us, Jimmy!" shouted Sheen.

Jimmy sat in between Carl and Sheen, and the more they talked to Jimmy and asked about what other cool inventions he had, the more Cindy and Libby felt left out.

"Can we play with those super jump thingies after school, Jimmy?" asked Sheen, "I wanna crash into the ceiling like you did!"

"Well, it would take me a few minutes to make more, but yeah, I suppose we could," replied Jimmy.

"Huzzah!" exclaimed Carl.

Both Jimmy and Sheen looked at Carl in confusion.

"What?" asked Sheen.

"Huzzah," Carl repeated, "It's a fancy way of saying 'Cool!'"

After a few minutes of conversation, it had been established that Jimmy was now the "cool best friend" for Carl and Sheen. All three of them looked next to them and finally acknowledged the two girls that were sitting across from them.

"Oh hey," said Sheen, "How long have you been here?"

"The whole time!" shouted Cindy.

"You didn't even know we were here?" asked Libby.

"Not a clue," replied Carl.

"Well, I wanna try out that Super-Jump thing," said Sheen, grabbing Jimmy and Carl, "See you gals later!"

The three boys walked out of the cafeteria leaving Cindy and Libby by themselves.

"Did they…just ditch us for the new guy?" asked Libby.

"I think they just did," replied Cindy.

A moment of silence followed, neither of the girls were sure how to react to their two friends being more fascinated by Jimmy than the ones who had known them since they were young…well, younger anyway.

"Still," said Cindy, "At least he's smart. But he's no genius."


	3. The Third Day

**Disclaimer: I do not own Jimmy Neutron.**

**Today, Jimmy finds a new love interest despite his young age and Cindy officially loses her title as "smartest kid in Retroville."**

* * *

Last night had been an ordinary one, but that morning on the bus had been awkward. Carl and Sheen had all their attention focused on yet another of Jimmy's inventions, leaving Cindy and Libby on their own to talk with Brittany and Nissa.

"Guess it didn't take long for those boys to get acquainted with the new guy," said Brittany.

"They didn't even say hi to us when they got on this morning," whined Libby.

"You still have us!" exclaimed a cheery Nissa.

Cindy didn't talk much on the ride to school. Unlike the other girls, her attention was focused less on their friends Carl and Sheen, and more on the new guy whose presence threatened to take them away from her.

As the students got off the bus and went inside the school, Carl and Sheen got easily distracted by the announcement poster for the new candy flavor in the cafeteria. Libby was too caught up in her music to notice Cindy sneak up behind Jimmy as he was walking down the halls.

"So," Cindy said, eyeballing Jimmy, "You're the new kid, huh?"

"Yeah, we, uh, kind of established that yesterday during class," replied an unsure Jimmy.

"I see," said Cindy, "And what exactly are your thoughts on Carl and Sheen?"

"Oh, those guys?" asked Jimmy, "Well, to be honest, they're the first friends I've made here so far…though granted it's only been one day."

"Yeah," said Cindy, albeit in a faint whisper, "Just one day, and you're already a friend hogger."

"What?" asked Jimmy.

"Oh, it's nothing, really," replied Cindy, though her body language said otherwise, "Just that those two have been friends with me and Libby way before _you_ showed up."

"You…sound like you're mad at me for that," said Jimmy.

"Mad? Why would I be mad?" she asked, with a few nervous giggles breaking in, "It's not like you're jeopardizing my friendship with them or anything, hmm hmm. Well, uh, have fun with whatever new invention you're building, I gotta go…"

Cindy picked up her pace and turned left around the hall, leaving Jimmy confused.

"Yeah, it's safe to say she doesn't like me," said Jimmy.

Cindy, on the other hand, was trying to get her mind onto something else. She was obviously worried about her status as "smartest kid in Retroville", but she was also worried that she would lose her lifelong friends…it already seemed like Carl and Sheen had abandoned her for Jimmy, and it may not have been long before Libby did as well.

It only got worse during the break period between 5th and 6th period. Someone else had caught Jimmy's attention while he was simultaneously "hogging" Carl and Sheen. Someone much taller, most likely a couple years older, and someone Cindy would come to despise even more than she did now. She wore a pink dress with black hair and had a beauty mark by her lips.

"Hey, look, here comes Betty Quinlan," said Carl.

As soon as Jimmy turned around, he became googly-eyed and turned beat red. Well, Cindy turned beat red too, but not out of admiration for Betty. Betty noticed both of them, and instantly knew what was going on in both their heads.

"You're the new kid, right?" asked Betty, "Jimmy Neutron?"

"You know my name?" asked Jimmy.

"Of course I do," replied Betty with a somewhat fake smile, "Word is you're a boy genius. The smartest kid in Retroville, they say."

The fact that she referred to him as "the smartest kid in Retroville" and rubbed his head at the same time made Cindy's mind explode.

"Maybe you can help me pass my science class," said Betty, "Could you maybe tutor me, say, tomorrow night?"

"I'd be happy too," replied Jimmy.

"Awesome!" exclaimed Betty, walking away and winking at him, "See you then!"

Jimmy turned around shyly at Carl and Sheen, making a fool out of himself with his love-inspired babbling.

"She knows my name!" exclaimed Jimmy, "She knows who I am!"

"She's reeled another one in," moaned Sheen.

"Poor guy," sighed Carl.

That was about all Cindy could stomach for a day. She punched her locker as she walked away angrily, soon being approached by Libby, who had been told by Cindy for the next minute or so what transpired.

"So someone thinks he's smarter than you," replied Libby, "Big deal. Most people still think you're the smartest kid in Retroville. Wait, scratch that. They still _know_ it."

However, during final period, Miss Fowl began to pass out the pop quizzes from the day before, and the grades spoke for themselves.

"A+!" Cindy bragged.

"Whoa, Jimmy!" exclaimed Sheen, "How'd you get an A++?"

"What?" others cried, "An A++?"

Others crowded around Jimmy's desk trying to look at the kind of answers Jimmy gave that would give him a higher grade than Cindy.

"Aw, cheer up, Cindy," said Libby, "I'm sure that was all just beginner's luck."

But when it came time for math problems, it was made clear that not only was Jimmy an actual genius, he actually was smarter than Cindy. The fact that he managed to get more answer right more quickly than her angered Cindy to the point where she began clawing her desk.

* * *

Cindy had been looking out her bedroom window making some last minute touches to her history notes, watching Jimmy ride around in his Hover-Car with Carl and Sheen. Libby wasn't with them, but did find Sheen's stories of his new adventures with Jimmy to be funny in their own weird way. Soon, Mrs. Neutron opened the door to their home.

"Jimmy!" cried Judy, "Clean up for dinner!"

"Aw, but Mom!" whined Jimmy.

"No buts, Jimmy," said Judy, "You can play with your new friends more tomorrow."

"Alright, Mom," moaned Jimmy as his mom closed the door.

"Except you're tutoring _Betty Quinlan_ tomorrow," said Carl, elbowing Jimmy's side as he blushed.

"Relax," said Jimmy, "I'll show you my lab another time."

"Bye, Jimmy!" exclaimed Carl and Sheen as Jimmy walked back inside his house.

"Man, that was one sweet ride!" Sheen shouted excitedly.

"I'm really glad we have a boy genius as our new best friend," said Carl, with Sheen nodding in agreement.

_New best friend. New best friend. New best friend._

Cindy had enough. In a fit of rage, she threw her notebook into the wall and started attacking her punching bag furiously. She had been losing everything she had ever known in just short time. How much more could the boy genius take from her?


	4. The Fourth Day

**Disclaimer: I do not own Jimmy Neutron.**

**Today, Cindy manages to keep Libby as a friend and realizes there's more to Jimmy Neutron than his science geek exterior.**

* * *

In an unusual move, Cindy moved to the back of the bus this time. Carl and Sheen had already switched their allegiances to Jimmy, she was not prepared to lose Libby the same way. Even though she felt it already happening, since Libby didn't even bother moving back to talk to her.

That was pretty much how the majority of the day panned out. Jimmy would steal her thunder, everyone would usually be amazed by it (especially Carl and Sheen), and he instantly became the new "smartest kid in Retroville." She moved to the other side of the table she usually sat at not more than a few days ago. However, while Carl and Sheen stayed with Jimmy, Libby noticed Cindy moving over by herself and sat across from her.

"Girl, you've _got_ to stop moping about all this," said Libby, putting down her lunch tray.

"Moping? What makes you think I'm moping?" asked Cindy.

"You've barely said a word all day," replied Libby, "And you were so spaced out in class, too. That sounds like moping to me."

"Well," said Cindy, "You know as well as the next person I'm not the smartest kid in Retroville anymore."

"So why do you gotta isolate yourself over that?" asked Libby.

"Take a look, Libby," replied Cindy, pointing towards the three boys across the table, "Carl and Sheen used to be _our_ friends. You said yourself the four of us were inseparable. Now _Nerdtron_ shows up and it's all over."

"Eh, 'Nerdtron?'" asked Libby.

"It fits," replied Cindy, "Regardless, it's only a matter of time before you desert me too."

"What?!" asked an appalled Libby, "Girl, what kind of talk is that? You know I'm your friend!"

"That's what Carl and Sheen used to be, too," replied Cindy.

"Well, boys will be boys," said Libby, "We girls stick together. I've been your best friend for years now, and that's never gonna change! Understand?"

Finally smiling, Cindy replied, "Yes, I understand."

_At least Libby will always have my back_, thought Cindy.

* * *

Later afterschool, Cindy took her dog Humphrey for a walk. They took their usual route; the right on their porch, then down that street until they reached the park, which was when they took a shortcut back to their home. Sadly for her, Jimmy Neutron was walking with Goddard and the two happened to cross paths.

"Oh, it's _you_, Neutron," groaned Cindy.

"Don't sound so disappointed, _Vortex_," Jimmy retorted, "You might make me cry."

"Oh, I'd _hate_ to do that," said Cindy, "Walking your dog?"

"Stating the obvious?" asked Jimmy in reply.

"Well not all of us are _geniuses_," said Cindy.

During their little argument, Goddard and Humphrey kept staring each other down. Humphrey knew Goddard wasn't technically a real dog and more of a robot, and Goddard didn't like Humphrey's lack of artificial components. The two began to growl each other, much like Cindy and Jimmy were almost at each other's throats.

"What is your problem, Vortex?" asked Jimmy, "I've only been here for a few days, and you're already giving me problems!"

"_I_ have a problem?" asked Cindy, "Oh, I'm _so_ sorry! I didn't know being angry at someone for stealing their friends was a _problem_!"

"Again with the 'stealing your friends' thing? Why do you keep going on about that?!" asked Jimmy.

"I only say it because it's true!" shouted Cindy.

While this was happening, a cat was crossing the street. Normally, both Goddard and Humphrey would be chasing it, but they didn't since they were staring each other down while their masters were arguing with each other. They didn't bother to notice a car coming right for it. The driver noticed the cat, but instead of slamming on the brakes to stop, he drove onto the grass…right where Cindy and Jimmy were. Goddard's safety analysis systems were going off like crazy, which Jimmy finally noticed a car was heading right for them.

"Oh no!" he cried, "Goddard! Copter Mode!"

As propellers came out from Goddard's head, Jimmy grabbed onto Goddard's legs to fly off. He did, however, grab Cindy's hand while Humphrey wrapped himself around Cindy' leg. Goddard flew them all into safety as the car passed by. The driver managed to get himself safely back on the road without hitting any more cats or people by the time Goddard got them all to safety, which was conveniently the part of the road between both of their respective houses.

"Jimmy, you…you saved my life!" exclaimed Cindy.

Before Jimmy could respond, Mrs. Neutron opened her front door and called out to her son.

"James Isaac Neutron!" she shouted.

Jimmy froze instantly. She only used his full name whenever he was in some sort of trouble, and based on the tone in her voice, it definitely sounded like he was in trouble.

"How many times have I told you _not_ to use the toaster for your inventions?" asked Judy.

"About 4 or 5 now," Jimmy replied, looking at Goddard, "In fact, exactly 5."

"You march downtown and get another toaster before you come home!" said Judy.

"But Mom!" he implored, "I'll be late for tutoring!"

"Toaster first, _then_ tutoring," said Judy.

"Alright, Mom," said Jimmy, finally giving in.

As Mrs. Neutron closed the door, Goddard converted into a scooter which Jimmy used to get to Downtown Retroville much faster. Cindy and Humphrey were left alone on the streets, still unsure of what just happened.

_Wow_, thought Cindy, _that was so…brave. He's nerdy, yeah, but that was just…no guy has ever risked their life for me!_

Now Cindy's heart was racing. Originally, when she thought of Jimmy Neutron, it was out of jealousy and anger, which made her heart beat in a furious manner. But now it was mixed with what felt like butterflies in her stomach, as the old saying goes.

_Wait, why do I…?_

Cindy didn't feel like finding out why. More like she was _afraid _to find out why, so she brought Humphrey inside and closed the door behind her.

* * *

Libby had called earlier asking for some help with burning CDs onto her MP3. Cindy didn't know why Libby would need help with that, but she left her house and started walking towards Libby's place after she got the call. The route there, however, also included passing by Betty Quinlan's house. And the curtains to the front window happened to be left open…enough so that Cindy could see Betty and Jimmy sitting on the same couch, with Jimmy writing equations on paper to help Betty remember them, with Betty frequently rubbing his head or pinching his cheek in what seemed to be gratitude.

The feeling of rage was back in Cindy, though she couldn't place her finger on why. Betty wasn't her friend, far from it. Jimmy wasn't stealing her from Cindy, but the sight of the two of them looking so happy made Cindy feel…

"Oh, why do I even care?" Cindy asked herself, "It's not like I like him or anything! It's not my business!"

She kept trying to convince herself of that on the remainder of the way to Libby's house.


	5. The Fifth Day

**Disclaimer: I do not own Jimmy Neutron.**

**Today, Cindy finally finds something she's better at than Jimmy, and an unexpected outbreak from the most unlikely of people brings her down.**

* * *

Walking into Lindbergh Elementary School the next day, Cindy couldn't shake her mind off the events that occurred yesterday. First, she had been dethroned as "smartest kid in Retroville". Then her life was saved by the very boy genius who dethroned her. And after thinking she hated him for it, she found herself uncomfortable with the way Jimmy and Betty were getting along.

"Cindy! Cindy!" exclaimed Libby, who was running down the hallway towards her, "I finally got the Offspring's newest song! You've got to hear it!"

Cindy placed the headphones on and listened to the song that had Libby in a good mood. However, despite the words being shouted directly into her ears through the ear buds, all her mind could process was the fact that Jimmy and Betty were coming in next to each other. While Betty toyed with his feelings, Jimmy was babbling like an idiot.

"Thanks for helping me with that homework last night, Jimmy," said Betty, "It makes so much more sense now."

"My pleasure, Betty," replied Jimmy.

Both Jimmy and Cindy were utterly shocked when Betty kissed Jimmy's cheek before walking away. Of course, this was good for Jimmy, judging by the fact that he was beat red and all smiles throughout the day. Naturally, Cindy was the opposite; she was bitter, ticked off, and ready to break someone's neck…hopefully Jimmy's.

"Cindy, I've seen you mad before, but this is a little much," Libby told her during recess.

"I just _know_ he's rubbing it in," growled Cindy, "It's not enough he's a genius, now he's gotta brag about how he was kissed by Betty _Boring_!"

"Why do you even care?" asked Libby.

"I don't!" shouted Cindy.

"Then why haven't you shut up about it at all?" asked Libby, "What's it matter to you if Jimmy has a girl?"

"It doesn't!" cried Cindy, "What bugs me is how he's using that to put himself on a pedestal above everyone else!"

Libby looked over to where Jimmy was, which was by the large oak tree demonstrating the Cheese Ray to Carl and Sheen.

"Doesn't look like he's bragging," said Libby, "Just showing one of his inventions to the guys."

"I'm _this_ close to knocking his teeth out right now!"

"Over a girl?" asked Libby.

Slapping her own forehead, Cindy got up and walked inside, fed up with her best friend's nagging.

"She is one obsessive chick," said Libby as she walked over to play jump rope with the other girls.

* * *

Final period was P.E class, and Cindy was worried about it for the first time in her school career. Jimmy had already beaten her at almost everything else…she wouldn't be surprised if he was some kind of martial arts expert or muscle boy while he was at it. The relay races were set up for six students at a time…usually three boys and three girls (which this time were Nissa, Cindy, and Libby for girls, and Jimmy, Carl, and Sheen for boys). Sadly, Carl was behind, and Nissa already passed him a while back, not to mention Carl was short of breath by the time he finally got the baton to Sheen. Sheen managed to be neck on neck with Libby.

"Come on, Libby," muttered Cindy, "Get me the stupid baton…"

Jimmy and Cindy received their batons at the same time, and both were running at about the same pace. Cindy kept looking over to Neutron during this time.

_There's no way I'm letting some big-headed show-off beat me in a foot race_, she thought.

Only Carl and Sheen had noticed that halfway through their run, Cindy had inched in a little closer to Jimmy and slightly kicked him in the shin. Before he knew what happened, Jimmy rolled to the side and into the grass, falling behind miserably. Of course, Cindy managed to cross the finish line first, practically humiliating Jimmy. Fortunately for everyone's sake, the coach had already walked back inside the gym just as the next moment began to unravel.

"Yes!" exclaimed a boastful Cindy, "Finally, something I can totally smoke Nerdtron's butt at!"

"That doesn't count, Vortex!" shouted Jimmy, "You tripped me!"

"Oh, don't be ridiculous," said Cindy, "Just admit it, you've got brain smarts, but you _suck_ at athletics."

Now everyone had gathered around as Jimmy and Cindy had been arguing with each other in each other's faces over what each of them knew had happened, but neither of which could actually prove.

"We might not be that smart, Cindy," said Carl, walking over with Sheen towards the crowd, "But we _saw_ you tripping Jimmy!"

"You cheated!" Sheen shouted, pointing an accusing finger at Cindy.

"Oh, give it a rest," growled Cindy, "Just because Nerdtron is your new favorite guy doesn't mean you have to lie about things to cover for him."

"What we're _doing_ is sticking up for our pal!" said Sheen, getting serious for once.

"Yeah, he knows how to be a friend," said Carl, giving Sheen and Jimmy support.

"I know how to be a friend!" exclaimed Cindy.

"No, you don't!" shouted Carl, getting angry for a moment, "You make fun of Jimmy, you get mad at us for being his friends, and you can't accept the fact that we can have other friends, you, you…you BITCH!"

The field had fallen completely silent after a unanimous gasp of astonishment. Carl had never cursed in his life, and never to a girl. Jimmy and Sheen were especially shocked, and Cindy looked like she had been run through with a knife. Suddenly, Carl fell back into his shy, reserved demeanor after realizing what he said.

"Please don't tell my mom I said that," he said.

* * *

At long last, the last school day of the week had ended, and the weekend had arrived, which was usually a cause for celebration for kids coming out of school.

"Hey, Jimmy!" exclaimed an overly-excited Sheen, who had practically forgotten what happened earlier, "They've got a new Ultra-Lord movie coming out today! Wanna come with?"

"They're selling Jumbo Purple Flurp candies for the occasion!" exclaimed Carl.

"Sounds like fun!" replied Jimmy, "We'll be able to get there in no time with the hover car!"

"_We'll get there in no time with the hover car_," said Cindy under her breath, mimicking Jimmy.

"Give it a rest, Cindy!" exclaimed Libby.

The bus soon got off towards Jimmy's area of the neighborhood, and while Carl and Sheen followed him to the lab, Cindy and Libby walked the opposite direction, looking back on Jimmy and his friends.

_His_ friends. Cindy and Libby were pretty much their own team now, and Carl and Sheen seemed to be just fine with that.

"Guess its official," said Libby, "They're _his_ friends, now."

"Oh, who needs them?" asked Cindy, "Boys will be boys, right?"

"Yeah, but those used to be _our_ boys," said Libby.

"Not anymore, they're not," said Cindy, "You heard Carl earlier. Even _he_ hates me now."

"You're _still_ bothered by that?" asked Libby.

Cindy didn't respond, and had bowed her head down without talking the remainder of the way, which Libby knew meant she didn't feel like talking. If she had bothered to look, however, Libby would have seen that Cindy had not only been truly hurt by what Carl had said earlier, but that she had been fighting back tears from coming down.

And of course, the source of that hurt was Jimmy Neutron.


	6. The Sixth Day

**Disclaimer: I do not own Jimmy Neutron.**

**Today, both Jimmy and Cindy have their minds on what Carl had done the previous day, each with different thoughts about it.**

* * *

Throughout the afternoon, Jimmy had been analyzing ways to foresee anything that could happen. After yesterday's events during P.E class, he wanted to know just exactly when the psycho known as Cindy Vortex would try and cheat her way to the top again. Of course, Carl and Sheen were with him at the time, and were completely on his side.

"You're definitely gonna want that kind of knowledge," said Sheen, "Actually, now that I think about it, if I had that knowledge…"

"You'd spoil every Ultra Lord episode for yourself and not experience the usual suspense?" asked Jimmy.

This left Sheen in utter shock and gasped out loud.

"For the love of humanity! That power must not be used for evil!" he shouted.

"But why do you want to tell the future, Jimmy?" asked Carl, "That's dangerously close to dabbling in the dark arts."

"Not if I'm using science to do it," replied Jimmy, "But in answer to your question, I need it so that I can know whenever Cindy might pull something like yesterday."

"Oh, that was hilarious, Carl!" exclaimed Sheen, "Did you see the look on her face when you called her a bitch?"

"I'm definitely giving you props for that one, Carl!" said Jimmy, laughing with Sheen.

"But I don't usually curse," said Carl, "And what if she gets sad about it? I know I would if someone cursed at me like that…"

"Relax, Carl!" Sheen replied, "She had it coming to her!"

"Yeah, she deserved that," said Jimmy, "You should lighten up a bit, Carl."

"But what if she stops liking you because of me?" asked Carl.

Jimmy turned around and looked at Carl as if he had asked if the sky was blue.

"Carl, in case you haven't noticed, Cindy hates _me_ almost as much as I hate _her_," replied Jimmy confidently.

"I don't think she actually hates you at all, Jimmy," said Carl.

"If she didn't hate me, she wouldn't have tripped me yesterday," said Jimmy, "_Or_ call me a friend hogger. _Or_ call me names. I'm pretty sure she hates me, Carl."

"Well…" said Sheen, with his voice trailing off.

"You don't actually think that too, do you Sheen?" asked Jimmy.

"Well, I wouldn't be surprised," replied Sheen, "I did notice this past week she gets mad every time you and Betty are together."

Sheen turned and saw a bag of candy, which he screamed in excitement over and ran over to eat.

"Sheen, you clearly saw things wrong," said Jimmy, "You have a one track mind that focuses on sugar and all things Ultra Lord."

"Does that mean you don't like her at _all_?" asked Carl, somewhat surprisingly, "I mean, I certainly don't…not anymore, but you…?"

"Wait, how long have you gotten along with Cindy?" asked Jimmy.

"Same time I did," replied Sheen, "Which was pretty much our whole lives before you moved here."

"Now it's us three amigos!" exclaimed Carl.

While Carl and Sheen began to split the sugar candy that they had found in the lab, Jimmy had sat back in his seat pondering what he had just learned.

_Carl and Sheen were actually friends with Cindy? Is that why she kept calling me a "friend stealer"? _

Now that Jimmy thought about it, he began to put the pieces together…he moves into a new town that is relatively small, he befriends two boys that had previously been seen with two girls, one of those girls calls him a friend stealer, that same girl is taken aback when one of his new friends calls her a bitch…

_Some genius I am_, thought Jimmy, _I couldn't even see what was going on with them when it was happening right in front of me! Does that mean when Carl insulted Cindy, she actually…_

"Nah, she's not like that," said Jimmy, dismissing the idea of Cindy having feelings, "She's probably brushed it off by now."

* * *

Cindy had been spending most of the afternoon with her punching bag, getting stronger and more efficient in her Tai Kwon Do. The word "bitch" kept ringing in Cindy's mind. She had heard it before whenever she eavesdropped on her parents watching movies, and based on the dialogue of those films, she was able to learn what a bitch was. She just didn't expect one of her old friends, let alone one of the only truly innocent people around, to call her one. Jimmy was wrong. She hadn't brushed it off. In fact, it would bug her for a very long time, especially after what she had once done for him.

"_Please don't hit me anymore!" cried Carl, curling up in a ball, "I'll give you my lunch money!"_

"_Tough luck," said Butch, "I was gonna take it whether you gave it to me or not…and beat you up whether you gave it to me or I had to force it out of you…wait, does that even make sense?"_

_Kindergarten had been a rough start for Carl. A fat boy wearing suspenders and already had glasses was bound to be the target of bullies. Of course, Cindy was just as violent and sassy as she was in the future, and actually had a sense of right and wrong…at least enough to stick up for Carl while Butch attempted to rob him of his lunch money. _

"_Hey Butch," Cindy said, smiling wide and batting her eyelashes to get his attention._

"_Yeah, what?" asked Butch, turning around._

_Cindy kicked him so hard in between his legs that the odds of him reproducing were slim, and had thrown him into a locker nearby that made him dizzy._

"_Man," he said, "And I thought blonde girls were supposed to be ditzy and stupid."_

"_Beat it, Butch," said Cindy, helping Carl up, "Are you alright, Carl?"_

"_Yeah," he said, smiling wide, "Thanks, Cindy."_

_The two walked together to class and had sat by Libby and Sheen, which was when the friendship had begun._

Now nearly two and a half years passed and that same sweet boy who she saved from a bully had turned his back on her. The thought made her punches and kicks that much more vicious.

* * *

**That's six days out of seven days in a week...tomorrow, things get real.**


	7. The Seventh Day

**Yes, this is the final day, but there will also be a short epilogue after this. Enjoy :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Jimmy Neutron.**

**Today, Cindy and Jimmy finally make it clear to each other why they seemingly hate each other so much, though others would argue they are lying to themselves...**

* * *

Cindy had walked out of the Candy Bar in the late afternoon after finally enjoying herself with Libby and Brittany with some ice cream. The aftertaste of chocolate sundae made it difficult for Cindy to be in a bad mood.

And yet, when she saw Betty Quinlan across the street, she was. And not just Quinlan; another boy had been talking to her, and he looked even geekier than Jimmy. Yet he was still getting some of Betty's affection.

"Thanks for helping me with my homework, Oleander," said Betty, "It makes so much more sense now."

"You're welcome, Betty," said Oleander, blushing and holding his head behind his arm.

When Betty kissed Oleander's forehead before walking away, Cindy knew what had been going on…Betty had been deliberately giving her affection towards any guy that was smart enough to help Betty pass her classes. Jimmy was just one of many smart guys that fell into that trap. Despite her anger, she said nothing to Betty when she passed by. Betty and Cindy simply looked at each other in the eyes without saying a word. Betty didn't seem to care much about what was going on, but Cindy couldn't stop thinking about it.

* * *

Jimmy, Carl, and Sheen (who was wearing his Ultra Lord mask over his head) were in the hovercar on their way back from the movies (again) late in the night. The three boys had landed just outside of Jimmy's house.

"That was awesome!" exclaimed Sheen, "That Jet Fusion is one awesome dude! Though not as awesome as Ultra Lord…"

"I told you so," said Jimmy.

"Too bad there weren't any llamas in it," said Carl.

"Llamas?" asked Sheen, "Carl, are llamas all you think about?"

"No!" shouted Carl in reply, who then bashfully said "…Yes."

As Carl and Sheen began to walk towards their respective homes, Jimmy was greeted by Goddard, who had come out of the backyard barking.

"Hey, boy," said Jimmy, "Who's a good boy? Sit, boy!"

Goddard sat as commanded.

"Roll over, boy!"

Goddard rolled over as commanded.

"Play dead, boy!"

Goddard's body exploded as commanded, leaving his head and bits and pieces of his body at the feet of Cindy Vortex, who had been walking towards Jimmy from across the street. The two had looked at each other for a few seconds in an awkward silence as Goddard reassembled himself.

"Vortex," said Jimmy with almost no tone.

"Neutron," said Cindy, wiping soot off her black pants, "Listen, I know we're not best friends or anything, but there's something you should know."

"That's almost impossible," said Jimmy, "I am, after all, a genius."

"Very funny, Nerdtron," said Cindy, "But I'm being serious. You're being played for a fool."

"Oh, is that so?" asked Jimmy, unconvinced though unsure by Cindy's statement, "Just how am I?"

"You think you're special to Betty Quinlan?" she asked, "You're not. You're just one out of several boys who fall into her traps to help her with homework."

"And I'm supposed to believe you on that?" asked Jimmy.

"Why is it so _hard_ to believe?" asked Cindy.

"Uh, because it's coming from _you_?"

"Oh, so just because I say it, it's automatically a lie?"

"Well, you have no reason at all to tell me something truthfully."

"And that's because…?"

"Because you've hated me ever since I got here?"

"What gives you that impression?"

"Gee, maybe the 'friend stealer' thing? That can't be stressed enough. Look, just because Carl and Sheen have started hanging out with me doesn't mean you have to get up in arms about it."

"You know," said Cindy, clenching her fists, "For a self-proclaimed genius…you can be so STUPID!"

Jimmy, who was slightly taken aback by this, found himself asking, "What crawled up _your_ butt?"

"I'll tell you what," replied Cindy, "Everything about _you_! You came into our town and took everything that was rightfully mine! You steal my friends, you upstage me as the smart kid, and if that wasn't enough, you get your new friends to HUMILIATE me in front of EVERYONE!"

"Maybe because you cheat!" exclaimed Jimmy, "And maybe they didn't leave you just because they were so fascinated with me! Maybe it's just because you're such an unpleasant person to be around!"

"Oh, I'M an unpleasant person?" asked Cindy, "Look who's talking! You think you're such a fascinating piece of work just because you built a few fancy inventions? You might have the brain smarts, but when it comes to people, you're clueless! You think you have it all figured out, but you don't!"

"Why should you even care what you _think_ is my lack of social skills?"

"Because when Betty Quinlan is done with you, she'll toss you aside like all the other boys! The last thing I need to see is to have your feelings hurt just because you couldn't open your eyes to what was going on right in front of you!"

"My feelings?" asked Jimmy, looking at Goddard, who was just as confused, "Cindy, where is _that_ coming from?"

Cindy paused when she realized what she had slipped off her tongue. _How did that come out? Why do I care whether or not Jimmy gets his feelings hurt?_ She found herself speechless as Jimmy kept eyeballing her for an answer. It didn't come.

"You know what?" asked Cindy, marching off, "Forget it, Nerdtron. Get your heart pulled out and stomped on for all I care!"

"Go choke on a hot dog for all _I_ care!" shouted Neutron.

"Maybe I will!"

"Good!"

"Fine!"

The two marched off in opposite directions, both angry with each other, albeit a little more than usual.

* * *

At dinner that night in the Neutron house, Hugh had been going on about his day at work, with Judy slightly humoring him as he slipped ducks into the conversation. That was when Jimmy decided to bring up an important question.

"Mom, Dad," said Jimmy, "I have an important question."

"Is it about pie?" asked Hugh, "I could definitely answer a question like that!"

"No, Dad," said Jimmy, "Let's say hypothetically speaking that someone, not anyone in particular, were to say something…_mean_ to someone that, well, deep down they didn't really mean. What would that person do?"

Though Hugh believed the "not anyone in particular" part, Judy knew her son was referring to himself. Still, for the sake of not embarrassing him, she decided to answer the question presented to her.

"Well, Jimmy," she replied, "Usually, when someone is in that situation, they tend to give what's called an apology."

"That's when you say 'I'm sorry' and give them a blueberry pie to show you mean it," said Hugh, "Or maybe apple if they don't like blueberries…or cherry if they don't like apples…"

This led to Hugh spending the rest of the dinner conversation naming one type of pie after another, even after Jimmy and his mom had finished and left. Jimmy looked out from his bedroom window and saw inside Cindy's bedroom window, and not _entirely_ to his surprise, she had placed a brown wig on her punching bag and drew two front teeth on it. She had redesigned her punching bag to be a Jimmy Neutron punching bag.

"You know what, boy?" asked Jimmy, "Why _should_ I apologize to her? It's not like she has any regrets about bullying me!"

Goddard barked in response.

"That's a good boy," said Jimmy, "Now who wants a treat?"

* * *

Cindy had indeed modeled her new punching bag to look like Jimmy, and now she was punching it almost as hard as she was last night. However, last night, she had gotten stronger from it. Tonight, she felt herself getting weaker…so weak, in fact, that she had called it an early night after merely a few minutes of punching. As she cleansed herself and prepared for the next day, she knew that after a week of Jimmy being around, she absolutely _hated_ him.

"So why _do_ I care so much about what happens to Jimmy?" she asked herself under her covers.

As her mind tried to answer that seemingly impossible question, she flashed back to the very first day of that week. She remembered the day before that day, how things between her, Libby, Carl, and Sheen had all been perfect. The four of them were inseparable…or so they thought. Once Jimmy arrived, everything changed. Libby had been her only true friend, while Carl and Sheen were more content with Jimmy. She suddenly shed a tear upon remembering how much better things had been before…then another tear…then uncontrollable sobbing.

_Why can't we all just be friends?_

Cindy kept attempting to see a way out of that dark hour before crying herself to sleep.


	8. Epilogue: The 425th Day

**Disclaimer: I do not own Jimmy Neutron.**

**Today, we catch up to the present era...**

* * *

"Standby with the satellite, Carl," said Jimmy, getting his rocket ready for takeoff.

Of course, by satellite, he meant toaster with a message for aliens. And of course, he took Carl along for the ride. The rocket was almost ready for takeoff.

"Are you sure you want to do this, Jimmy?" asked Carl, "It doesn't exactly seem safe."

"No one would make any progress in the scientific field if all they thought about was safety," replied Jimmy, "Plus, I want to be able to get this message sent out before I humiliate Cindy with my new Shrink Ray!"

Before Carl could reply, the rocket had taken off. Jimmy had prepared a message to give to whatever alien species had been trying to contact him before.

What could _possibly_ go wrong when a boy genius sends a satellite to Yolkians?

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed the story. Please tell me that you think :)**


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